Atif Dudaković | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1954-12-02)2 December 1954 (age 70) |
| Allegiance |  Yugoslavia (1976–1992)[1] Bosnia and Herzegovina (after 1992) |
| Branch | Yugoslav People's Army (1976–1992) Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina (after 1992) |
| Rank | Major (Yugoslavia) Lieutenant general (Bosnia and Herzegovina) |
| Commands | Commander of the5th Corps |
| Battles / wars | |
Atif Dudaković (born 2 December 1953) is a retiredBosniak general who served in theArmy of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During theBosnian War, Dudaković was in command of theBihać enclave, which wassurrounded and besieged from 1992 to 1995, commanding the5th Corps. After the war he became the general commander of theArmy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2018, he was charged with war crimes.
Dudaković was born in the village ofOrahova nearBosanska Gradiška.[2] He graduated from the Military High School inZadar and in 1976 from the Military Academy, majoring in artillery.[3] He later taught at an artillery school inZadar and military academy inBelgrade.[4]
In 1991, at the beginning of theCroatian War of Independence, he served as the artillery superintendent of the 9th Corps of theYugoslav People's Army (JNA) with headquarters inKnin, and was directly subordinated to the Serb GeneralRatko Mladić.[5]
After the outbreak of the war in Bosnia, Dudaković joined the newly establishedArmy of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH). Eventually he became commander of the 5th Corps,defending Bihać.[3] The situation there was difficult as Bihać was surrounded on all sides by enemies of the ARBiH: by theArmy of Republika Srpska; byRepublic of Serb Krajina; and by forces of theAutonomous Province of Western Bosnia, the renegadeBosniak forces ofFikret Abdić. The 5th Corps successfully defended the enclave and in 1995 broke out from theencirclement and captured the towns ofBosanski Petrovac,Bosanska Krupa,Ključ andSanski Most.[citation needed]
After the war he continued to serve in the Bosnian army, holding the position of Commander of Joint Command of Army of theFederation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[3]
In September 2006, the Serbian television stationsB92 andRadio Television of Serbia broadcast two video tapes, one of which apparently shows Dudaković giving an order of "fire"[6] or "burn it all"[7] referring to a Serb village duringOperation Sana in 1995.[8] The other showed the execution of a Serb civilian who had raised his arms in surrender.[7][9] After the video was released Dudaković gave a statement saying:
The Army of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina was never ordered to commit crimes. If such things happened, then there should be an investigation and the perpetrators punished. ... The film shows the front line. I was normally engaged on the front line directing the artillery. I am an artillery man. The film with its subtitles are the usual product of Serb propaganda which we came across throughout the war and later too. This is why I do not get excited.[6]
In 2009, Bosnian Serb television broadcast a video purporting to implicate Dudaković in the execution of two Bosniak prisoners of wars who were loyal to wartime foe Fikret Abdić.[10]
In 2010, Dudaković joined theParty for Bosnia and Herzegovina ofHaris Silajdžić.[11]
In April 2018, police detained Atif Dudaković and 12 others on suspicion of committing crimes against humanity during theBosnian War. All were members of theBosnian Army's 5th Corps, which under Dudaković's leadership was in charge of the Bihac area. They were suspected of having carried out atrocities against civilians including ethnic Serbs and Bosniaks, who were loyal to other Bosnian leaders, and prisoners during the war. The case against them was based on more than 100 witness interviews, video footage and evidence from exhumations.[12] Bosniaks rallied inSarajevo, carried a large banner reading "Heroes, not criminals!", to express their support to them.[13] Dudaković and the others are accused of killing over 300 civilians and the destruction of 38 Serb Orthodox churches.[14] In October 2018, Dudaković was formally indicted for crimes against humanity.[15]
Brigadier Dudakovic was born on 2 December 1954 in the village of Orahova, between Bosanska Dubica and Bosanska Gradiska.
